MR HENRI J. BARDON: "It is deplorable that oil majors are looking only at options to introduce lower-octane (less oxygenated) fuel that cause more pollution to save the average user 5 cents per litre.

Singapore needs to quickly embrace biofuels to improve its carbon footprint.

Singapore has four refineries and a carbon footprint that is one of the highest in the world.

Despite inviting foreign investors here to build plants to produce biofuels, Singapore itself is not using any.

Singapore can mandate that all diesel fuels sold here are biodiesel as such fuel can be produced on Jurong Island.

Indonesia and Malaysia already do so.

Thailand and the Philippines have mandated ethanol blending for the past two years.

At low blends of 5 per cent to 10 per cent, biofuels cut carbon dioxide emissions by the same amount.

This would require no changes to pumps or cars as biofuel blends are used in many of the countries where cars Singaporeans drive are made."

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